This week on Big Hero 6: The Series, the team faced off against an honest-to-God monster who was turning up when least expected. Also, Hiro was feeling green with envy that Karmi had been taken under billionaire Liv Amara (Mara Wilson)’s wing.
1. Mini-Max, Hello and Goodbye
I wondered where Mini-Max had gone last week, so I was delighted to see him again at the start of this episode, where Fred was reading him comic books no less. Then we got the surprisingly brutal explanation for his absence: the monsters blasts through Fred’s bedroom wall, and despite Mini-Max’s brave effort, he gets chucked straight out of the crater. Poor Mini-Max is damaged, although he’s able to give the other Big Hero 6 members some video footage to corroborate Fred’s story. Let’s hope he’ll be repaired in time for the season finale.
2. Reinventing the Wheel
I laughed-out-loud when Hiro realized he has invented a giant thermometer to win Amara’s support, coupled with that drawn out moment when he drags away the huge piece of junk. It reminded me of how certain tech bros expect applause for something that already exists, and overall I think the message of the episode, that everyone is special in their own way, should hopefully teach any boys (regardless of whether they grow up to become tech bros or not), to not feel threatened by successful women. Granted, Karmi has been pretty nasty to Hiro, but that’s beside the point the episode is making. There’s a nice little moment when Hiro sees Krei is also jealously infatuated with Amara, and he realizes he’s in danger of becoming like that.
3. Whale, Dinosaur and Hair in a Blender
Let’s talk about the titular problem, whom everyone from Fred to Krei is able to perfectly describe as a “whale and a dinosaur and some hair put into a blender” and so on (nice runtime padding there, Disney). Thanks to his rumbling quotations of Shakespeare’s The Tempest, the team are able to deduce he’s a mutated billionaire named Orso Knox, who’s subconsciously still aware to some degree, as all his victims are people he was scheduled to meet with.
By the end of the episode, Knox is subdued thanks to Karmi’s bravery and brilliance, but he isn’t cured, and we’re none the wiser as to how he got turned into a monster. I was expecting Amara to be revealed as having some involvement, given the name of her company, Sycorax, is also the name of Caliban’s mother in The Tempest, but no such luck. It’s probably the most blatant loose end in the show to date.
4. Ultra-armor
Baymax’s Overdrive Mode made its sophomore appearance this week, and surprisingly, Hiro hasn’t improved its battery, leaving the big red robot severely drained after using it. In effect, it’s become little more than a big warning siren to scare off big dogs like the mutated Knox.
More impressive was the new titanium-reinforced ultra-armor Hiro makes for the whole team. It brought to mind comic book series like DC’s “Justice,” or Marvel’s “Fear Itself,” when whole superhero groups get to participate in getting new upgraded outfits to take on a new threat. I have to say they all looked very cool, even if the lens flare sight gag was rather on the nose.
5. Grace
Granville’s first name is revealed by Amara in passing to be Grace. That’s nice isn’t it? I still don’t know what Honey Lemon, Wasabi and Go Go’s names are (if those are nicknames or are their real names), which feels peculiar to say the least. It feels wrong that I know more about her than them by this point.
Bonus thoughts:
– Loved the shot of Hiro’s hair after Granville makes it presentable for Amara’s visit, that’s basically the haircut for all East Asian kids under 10.
– Baymax was written as more pedantic than usual, constantly pointing out he doesn’t understand a joke or a metaphor.
– Knox’s appearance could be a nod to Caliban from The Tempest, who if I recall correctly is often portrayed as half-man, half-fish.
